I'm looking to buy an 18x36 smoker with an offset firebox. I also like to gas grill occasionally and would like to ask if anyone has ever modified their smoker to install gas burners in the main cooking chamber? When smoking, I would put a metal plate over the burners to keep any grease drippings from fouling the burner holes. Has anyone ever done this? Are there drawbacks to this hybrid approach?

Have heard of people modifying a smoker that allows them to grill with wood or charcoal in the smoke chamber but never seen gas being used. There are some major safety concerns having gas in near proximity to a wood fire box. Gas assisted log lighters are available in some smokers but to me the risk of having gas lines run into a wood fire box was never worth the risk. Especially when there are a lot of many other safer ways to ignite wood.